July 13, 2016

The word “tsingy” means to “go on tip toes”. It is the name of the unique, razor sharp, moonscape limestone formations located in several places in Madagascar, but to my knowledge, no where else in the world.

I cycled an easy 30km from Ambilobe to Ankarana National Park and arrived at 830 a.m. By 9 a.m. I had found a local guide (requirement), a place to sleep, and we were on our way for the full day tour. My guide was a 36 year old Malagasy man with 9 years of experience who spoke remarkably good English. He informed me that our tour would be approximately 6 hours and required over 20 km of walking. I hate walking. He pointed down the single lane dirt road that would begin our exploration. “Why are we walking down a dirt road?” I asked. “Can we ride bikes in the park?” “Bicycles…In the park? I don’t know.” he replied in perplexed yet curious way. “Let me see if I can borrow bicycle.” Ten minutes later he returned with a typical clapped out, no shifting, no brake having, yet bomb proof Malagasy bike. “Ok. We go.” Whenever given the choice of walking or cycling…ALWAYS choose the later…always. Bikes win.

Before I knew it, we were spinning freely down the single lane dirt road to the actual trail head, where we picked up a beautifully flowing single track that twisted and turned under the dense green canopy of the forest…with my guide dragging a foot since he didn’t have brakes.  Remember that time you were mountain biking with lemurs leaping through the trees above your head? I do. Eventually we got to a point where we would need to hike but we did catch several other tour groups who had started more than 1 hour before us…and with WAY less walking. I really detest walking. We hiked down some makeshift steps, across a dried up seasonal river bed, up the other side, and there it was. Tsingy. It was a vast field, nearly ½ mile wide by approximately 1 mile long field of these alien rock formations. There were a few narrow paths cutting through and over this field including a rickety suspension bridge spanning a gorge, a bridge that was clearly labeled “one by one”. Don’t lose your balance, but if you do, take caution to not put your hand out to stabilize yourself, else you risk losing a finger or 2 in the process…or at least a lot of blood and skin. This area is sacred to the Ankarana people, who have historically taken refuge from encroaching enemy armies as they were told to “go on tip toes’ across the the tops of the spires.

After spending 2 hours exploring the tsingy, it was time to end the tour with the bat cave, formally known as La Grotte d’Andrafiabe. It comprises at least 8 km of horizontal passages. Ankarana National Park contains the longest cave systems in Madagascar, and probably in all of Africa. To be honest, I have seen bat caves and they never seemed that impressive…so I nearly passed. I’m glad that I did not. We climbed down about 200 steps into what I can only try to describe as a cave the size Madison Square Garden, cut in half. It can hardly be called a “cave”. Caves are small holes in the rock where you need to duck your head or risk a concussion. This one was approximately 150 high and 300 feet across. Truly spectacular. “Take out your torch” my guide told me. Complete and utter darkness as we entered. The cave extended approximately ½ km into this darkness. Even though it was enormous, if you were at all claustrophobic, this may not be the place for you. The feeling of being in total darkness and isolation is an interesting sensation. Your other senses become enhanced, especially hearing. I turned on my head lamp and glanced up at the squeaks and chirps that I heard above me…hundreds of glowing eyes 50 feet above…looking down on me. It was chilling. Ankarana National Park should definitely be on your list if you visit Madagascar.

My guide, also happy to not be walking

Photos just cannot capture the magnitude of the cave